Advanced football game

ABSTRACT

A more efficient process of playing and organizing football to increase interest and revenue. Modifying traditional rules and organization of the National Football League the present invention introduces, shortened pre-season, reorganized regular season schedule, and an expanded post season. The present invention also introduces new scoring opportunities to provide a team, that are behind, a chance to create a come from behind situation. Finally, the present invention additionally introduces a consecutive sack rule and an additional player option.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a new and more efficient method of organizingteam play in the National Football League (NFL). It has been designed topromote more competition between teams, and thus, promote fan interest.More specifically, the present invention modifies the traditional rulesof football, as well as introduces better preseason, regular season, andplayoff scenarios. These modifications will make the game moreinteresting and its organization easier for fans and the media tounderstand.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Football has grown to more than just another sport in the United States.In fact, a huge amount of money is spent to watch football games and topurchase clothing that displays team colors and favorite playerpersonalities. Fantasy football leagues have grown to allow fans tofurther enjoy the game of football, and fans even pretend to be thecoach of a favorite football team via a video game.

There is no greater super power in the sports world than the NFL, whichattracts the game's best players to compete from late summer throughwinter year after year. Part of the success of the National FootballLeague is because Americans seemingly love the game of football.However, the NFL itself has designed a systematic approach to the gamethat attempts to balance the game in ways that spur more interest. Thereis a preseason, a regular season, and then a playoff season that somerefer to as a “second” season. The designs of the regular season and theplayoff season, in particular, are fundamental to increasing faninterest.

While the preseason of the NFL certainly wets fans appetites, it is theregular season that continues for months, and culminates in theplayoffs. The regular season is designed so that each team within adivision plays the other teams in their division twice during theregular season. The regular season also calls for each of the teams ofone division to play each of the teams of another division in theopposing conference once. They also play the teams of another divisionwithin the conference once. These are scheduled on a yearly rotationalbasis. Additionally, all teams have one bye week sometime during theregular season.

After the regular season has ended, the playoffs are designed so thatthe team with the best record in each of the eight divisions of the NFLis guaranteed a berth in the playoffs. In addition, in each of the twoconferences, two additional teams are admitted into the playoffs. Thetwo additional teams per conference are the non-division winners withthe best records. These are commonly referred to as the wild cards.Thus, there are a total of 12 teams in the playoffs according to currentNFL rules.

Unfortunately, there are various drawbacks to the way in which the NFLorganizes games, one of which is the aforementioned play schedule of theregular season. There is little rhyme or reason to the regular seasonbut that all teams within a division play each other twice. Other gamesare played against other divisions on a rotational basis once everythree of four years depending on the type of game. Aside from this,there is no real structure to the regular season. Moreover, not allteams in a division have a bye week the same week, and this makes itrather difficult for fans to follow and compare intra-divisionalrecords. Teams within one division have different numbers of total gamesplayed until the end of the regular season. Current scheduling of byeweeks places some teams at an unfair disadvantage. Some teams who playthe previous week have to play a team that is rested from a bye and hashad two weeks to prepare. Meanwhile, some teams lose continuity goinginto the season because they have a scheduled bye week only two or threeweeks into the season.

Thus, it is desirable, so that the regular season would foster morecompetition, to have a new method of regular season play.

The NFL's idea of football playoffs is also undesirable. Allowing 4non-division winners into the playoffs is laudable, but some of thedivision winners have inferior records; thus, there are some teams thatmake the playoffs merely because they are division winners, even thoughthey might have only won 60% of their regular season games.

Thus, it is desirable, so that the best teams are in the playoffs, thatsome other system be devised to qualify the best teams for the playoffs,and not just the division winners plus the two wild card teams in eachconference with the best record. Additionally it is desirable that atthe end of the regular season there be a bye week for all play off teamsso that each team may have an equal amount of rest and preparation sothat all teams will be at their best when competing.

In addition, while football rules are fairly consistent, the NFL,college football, and the Canadian Football League all have variousscoring irregularities. It is desirable to devise scoring rules thatencourage “big plays” to maintain the excitement that football fansyearn for.

Furthermore, football defenses can play zone, man-on-man, or acombination defense. It is desirable to allow the defense greaterlatitude than these specific types of formations.

Similarly, football offenses generally have 11 players on the field atone time. The offensive players generally block, run, receive a pass,and/or pass. The defense plans to counter the offense taking intoaccount the number of blockers, runners, and receivers. It is desirableto provide another dimension in the offense so that the defense cannoteasily attempt to counter the offense so predictably.

Also, defenses will occasionally blitz the quarterback; however, if ablitz is unsuccessful, then the defense often finds itself shorthandedin defending a pass once the ball has been thrown. It is desirable toprovide defense with additional incentives to promote attempts to sackthe quarterback.

Thus, the game of football stands to be improved. Specifically, theorganization of play between teams requires modification to improvecompetition. Moreover, there is a need to provide greater excitement sothat lulls in game play do not occur.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a process of playing and organizing the game offootball in which various modifications are made to the traditional wayfootball is played and organized to make the game more exciting andinteresting. In short, the preseason is shortened so that rather thanhaving four preseason games, three preseason games are played. Further,the regular season is modified so that all teams play a specific type ofgame on the same week. Also, playoff eligibility is modified so thatgood teams that do not win their division will have a better chance ofmaking the playoffs. Moreover, the scoring rules of football aremodified so that there is a one point defensive play, a four point fieldgoal, a seven point play, an eight point play, and a nine point play.Additionally, an additional player option and a consecutive sack ruleare introduced.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention is a process of playing and organizing the game offootball. The present invention is an improvement of the game offootball as now played and organized by the NFL. That noted, theforegoing description explains how the present invention departs fromthe game of football as defined by the NFL. The elements of the game offootball are described to distinguish between elements of the presentinvention and the current NFL. If elements of the game of football arenot touched upon in the foregoing description, then those elements areidentical to the conventional NFL elements. The present inventionaddresses the game of football in sections as follows: Pre-seasonmodification, Regular season modification, Play-off eligibilitymodification, Scoring modification and Other additions.

Pre-Season Modification

The present invention has a shortened pre-season; the pre-season has twoor three games. There are three reasons for this suggestion. First,pre-season games are not as popular with the fans as the regular seasonand therefore do not produce as much revenue. Second, head coaches, bythe second or third game, know what players will be playing for them inthe regular season therefore it is not necessary to have more games. Andthird, longer pre-seasons allow for more players to get injured which,depending on the injury, can last either a couple weeks, for the entireseason or possibly even career ending. The theory behind this thought isthat if the player is going to get hurt it might as well be in a gamethat counts. In this way, his progress up until that point benefits theteam.

Regular Season Modification

Currently the NFL's regular season lasts 17 weeks, each team playing atotal of 16 games with one bye week. 6 of the 16 games are playedagainst the other members of their own division, 2 games per team. 4 ofthe 16 games are played against another team in the opposing conference,4 games 4 teams. Another 4 of the 16 games are played against an entiredivision in the same conference, 4 games 4 teams. And the last 2 gamesare played against teams in the other 2 divisions in the sameconference, 2 games 2 teams.

The present invention has a Balanced Organized Symmetrical Schedule. Thepresent invention will increase fan base and media interest. This inturn will increase revenues for the NFL through ticket sales,advertising and broadcasting. The suggested schedule format is asfollows:

4 weeks will be designated as “host weeks”, where the National FootballConference (NFC) teams would host, at home, the American FootballConference (AFC) teams on 2 weeks. On the other 2 weeks the AFC teamswould host the NFC teams. The order in which this happens will bediscussed later.

6 weeks will be designated as “division weeks” where every team in theNFL would be playing 1 team in their division that week. By the end ofthose 6 weeks, which are not consecutive, any given team will haveplayed each team in their division twice during the regular season.

3 weeks will be designated as “NFL all conference weeks”. During thosethree weeks every team would be playing a team within their conferencebut outside of their division.

2 weeks will be designated as “Commissioner's Draw” weeks where alottery will be conducted, randomly matching home teams against visitingteams. Each team would host on lottery games and travel as the visitingteam in one game. However to increase the excitement of the fans,neither the team nor the fans will know what teams will play each otheruntil a week before the game is supposed to be played.

And lastly 2 weeks will be designated as Conference showcase weeks.Every season each team has 1 bye week, however they come at random timesduring the season. The present invention introduces a more organized byeweek method. This will occur on 2 weeks out of the season. On one weekin which the entire AFC will have a bye while the NFC playsintra-conference games and the other week the entire NFC will have a byewhile the entire AFC plays intra-conference games. Promotionally, forthe NFL and the media networks this creates what can be called either anAFC Showcase week or an NFC Showcase week. The present inventionschedules divisional weeks after each conference showcase weeks. Usingthis new method each team will have an equal amount of time to prepareas the team they will be playing.

A typical Balanced Organized Symmetrical Schedule for any given seasonwill look as follows: WEEK 1 AFC host NFC WEEK 2 NFDL all conferenceweek WEEK 3 Divisional week WEEK 4 NFC host AFC WEEK 5 NFL allconference week WEEK 6 AFC Showcase (NFC by week) WEEK 7 Divisional weekWEEK 8 Commisioner's Draw WEEK 9 Divisional week WEEK 10 NFC Showcase(AFC bye week) WEEK 11 Divisional week WEEK 12 AFC host NFC WEEK 13 NFLAll conference week WEEK 14 Divisional week WEEK 15 Commisioner's DrawWEEK 16 NFC host AFC WEEK 17 Divisional week END REGULAR SEASONPlayoff Eligibility Modification

The play-offs currently allow for the 4 division winners and 2 wild cardteams from each conference for a total of 12 teams that play in thepost-season. The problem arises, however, when a team wins theirdivision with an 8-8 or a 9-7 record. Another team, with a betterrecord, in another division will eventually be left outof the play offssimply because they are playing in a stronger division. One divisionwinner may have a 14-2 record, but the next best team in that samedivision with an 11-5 record may not clinch the a wild card spot andwill be excluded from the post-season. This happens because a playoffberth must go to each division winner regardless of their record. Adding4 wild card teams would correct the deficiency.

The present invention modifies the playoff format to where there are 16teams instead of 12 to give the better teams in stronger divisions abetter chance of making it to the super bowl. The present invention alsointroduces a bye week in between the end of regular season and the startof the post season so that not team has an advantage over another teamdue to lack of rest and preparation. The Balanced Organized SymmetricalSchedule would reflect as follows: WEEK 18 Pre Play-off bye week WEEK 19First round Super 16 wild card play-offs (Thursday- Saturday) WEEK 20Divisional play-off round (Saturday-Sunday) WEEK 21 ConferenceChampionships WEEK 22 Bye week WEEK 23 Super Bowl (NFL Championships)WEEK 24 Pro BowlScoring Modifications

In order to increase the interest and excitement of the fans, media andthe NFL, a scoring scheme in addition to the current NFL scoring isintroduced by the present invention. Currently the NFL's scoring schemeconsists of a 6 point touchdown with the opportunity to either kick anextra point or go for a 2 point conversion where the ball must enter theend-zone a second time from the 2 yard-line. A 3 point field goal whichcan be kicked from anywhere on the field, provided the ball passesthrough the field goal uprights. There is also a 2 point defensive playcalled a safety where the defense tackles any player inside their ownend-zone.

The present invention has an additional scoring scheme that willencourage the “Big Play”, and will give a team that is losing the gameand running out of time, more opportunities to create a comeback. Thisscoring scheme will be subcategorized as follows: 1 point defensiveplay, 4 point field goal, 7 point play, 8 point play and 9 point play.

1 Point Defensive Play

If the defense either intercepts a pass or recovers a fumble in theirown end-zone that team will be awarded 1 point. If the player is tackedor downs the ball in that end-zone the ball will be placed on the 7yard-line instead of the normal touchback which would put the ball onthe 20 yard-line. If the player runs it out of the end-zone the ballwill be spotted where ever that player was tackled or where he went outof bounds.

4 Point Field Goal

Today the typical range of a kicker in the NFL for field goals is up toand including 45 yards. However, there are a number of kickers capableof kicking a field goal accurately from a distance of over 50 yards. The4 point field goal is designed to give those teams losing the game thathave a kicker able to kick at that distance a chance to make up thedifference in score. It is also serves to encourage any team that doesnot have a kicker with that type of range to improve their kicking game.

7 Point Play

Any run or pass more than 50 yards for a touchdown will be worth 7points, with a 1 or 2 point conversion afterwards.

8 Point Play

Any run, pass, punt or kick off return for 100 or more yards (end-zoneto end-zone) will be worth 8 points with a 1 or 2 point conversion tofollow.

9 Point Play

After a 1 point defensive play, if the ball is returned, end-zone toend-zone, for a touch down this play will total 9 points. A 1 or 2 pointconversion would follow. 1 point for the interception or fumble recoveryand 8 points for the end-zone to end-zone touchdown.

Other Additions

Other additions would include the additional player option and theconsecutive sack rule and are explained in the following:

Additional Player Option

Once every half a team has the option to add an additional player to thefield for a total of 12 players on one team for up to 4 consecutiveplays. The additional player can be added on offense or defense. Whenone team chooses to use their additional player option the opposing teamcan choose to either match or defer their option in hopes of gaining theadvantage later in the half to either score or stop a score. When theteam decides to use this option the 12^(th) player must report hiseligibility to the referee. Failure to do so will result in a “too manymen on the field” penalty and loss of the additional player option forthat half.

Consecutive Sack Rule

Two consecutive sacks of the quarterback between the 30 yard-lines wouldresult in automatic change of possession. This would give additionalincentive to a desperate defense who's team is behind.

Having illustrated the present invention, it should be understood thatvarious adjustments and versions might be implemented without venturingaway from the essence of the present invention. The present invention isnot limited to the embodiments described above, and should beinterpreted as any and all embodiments within the scope of the followingclaims.

1. A process of playing and organizing a football game, wherein there isa pre-season, regular season and post season, comprising: playing thepre-season with no more than three pre-season games; and playing thepost season with no less than sixteen post season teams.
 2. The processof claim 1 further comprising playing the regular season with regularseason teams.
 3. The process of claim 2, wherein said regular seasonteams are separated into at least two conferences.
 4. The process ofclaim 3, wherein said at least two conferences are separated into atleast two divisions.
 5. The process of claim 3, further comprisingplaying the regular season with sixteen regular season games per each ofsaid regular season teams.
 6. The process of claim 5, wherein four ofsaid sixteen regular season games are hosted by one of said at least twoconferences on the same week.
 7. The process of claim 5, wherein said atleast two conferences are separated into at least two divisions, andwherein six of said sixteen regular season games are played within oneof said at least two divisions on the same week.
 8. The process of claim5, wherein three of said sixteen regular season games are played withinone of said at least two conferences on the same week.
 9. The process ofclaim 8, wherein said at least two conferences are separated into atleast two divisions, and wherein said three of said sixteen regularseason games are played within all but one of said at least twodivisions.
 10. The process of claim 5, wherein two of said sixteenregular season games are between regular season teams randomly matchedon the same week.
 11. The process of claim 5, wherein two of saidsixteen regular season games are played between said regular seasonteams within only one of said at least two conferences.
 12. A process ofplaying and scoring football, comprising: awarding one point for adefensive play resulting in a change of possession; awarding four pointsfor a field goal from a distance greater than fifty yards; awardingseven points for a run or pass for a distance greater than fifty yards;and awarding eight point for a run, pass, kick or punt return greaterthan one hundred yards.
 13. The process of claim 12, wherein said onepoint is awarded for an interception in the end zone.
 14. The process ofclaim 12, wherein said one point is awarded for a fumble recovery by thedefense in the end zone.
 15. The process of claim 14, wherein said onepoint is awarded for an interception in the end zone.
 16. A process ofplaying football comprising: adding an extra player to a team on thefield for four consecutive plays once every half; and changingpossession after two consecutive sacks of the quarterback between thethirty yard lines.